Heavy Metal is, without a doubt, a long term offender – basically their standard issue is some sort of titillating fantasy babe who has little or no connection to any comic, story or interview inside the magazine.

But this one is so special it makes me wonder if Derek Zoolander should be given a design credit:

“Okay, now this edition’s theme is monsters… so we can’t just have our regular really, really, really ridiculously good looking babe on the cover!”

“So we’ll go with a medusa or a harpy or…”

“NO! Have you not listened to a thing I’ve said!?  Monster covers clearly call for a really, really, really, really ridiculously good looking with blue skin! And I said monsters – with an S – so there needs to be at least… three of them!”

“And… they should have scary armor and look threatening?”

“NO! They should have sultry expressions and bikini armor! How else will people know it’s Heavy Metal!?”

The worst part is, of course, that there are up and coming illustrators who are going to look at these covers and decide to copy them in the hopes of getting work and recognition.

– wincenworks